This invention relates to spool type, electro-pneumatic control valves and more particularly to apparatus to aid in the proper assembly of these valves.
The spool type valve for which this apparatus was directly developed is shown in FIG. 1 and is the subject of patent application Ser. No. 892,303, which is incorporated herein by reference, as though set-out in full. All compound spool type valves have a generally similar arrangement of parts if they are driven electro-mechanically by face type armatures with core assemblies and coils.
Since this valve is a pneumatic valve and is generally applied in missile applications, the leakage at no flow is extremely important and the spool must be properly centered on the sleeve ports when the valve is in the off position. Also, the spool has a total displacement from the neutral or off position of 0.003 to 0.005 inches and since the response time is very critical, exact air gaps between the face type armatures and the core assemblies are critical.
It is an object of this invention to provide a device which locates the spool in relationship to the valve sleeve ports to minimize gas leakage in the off position. It is a further object of this invention to provide means for adjusting the armature on the spool to insure an optimum air gap between the armature and the core assembly, while assuring that the armature face is aligned perpendicular to the spool centerline and parallel to the core surface.